The present invention relates generally to conducting electronic commercial transactions over a computer network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a web site wherein a customer can view and modify a consumption forecast of an established stocking program over a computer network.
Electronic commerce systems for conducting commercial transactions over a distributed computer network, such as the Internet, are shown and described in numerous U.S. Patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,285,383 and 5,063,507 to Lindsey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,915 to Kirsch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,542 to King, Jr. et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,873 to Berent et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,915 to Kirsch et al. discloses a system and method for performing Internet transactions between a client browser and a merchant server. The method includes establishing a coded identifier (i.e., a cookie) on the browser which corresponds to an account record stored on the server; providing a web page including a URL identifying an item for sale to the browser; receiving the URL, with a reference to the coded identifier, at the merchant server; validating the coded identifier; and recording the identity of the corresponding item. The method is intended to avoid redundant user input, to provide for secure transactions, and to increase transaction efficiencies. The patent further discloses techniques for providing additional levels of authentication and security, restrictions on shipping destination, and e-mail confirmation of orders. The determination of when to send a confirmation can be made subject to the dollar amount of the purchase, user""s purchase history, or other criteria selected by the vendor server.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,542 to King, Jr. et al. discloses a system for ordering items from a supplier. The system includes an electronic catalogue and an electronic requisition facility. The catalogue includes a public-access portion, stored on a publicly-accessible database for access by customers, and a private portion, stored on a customer""s computer system. The private portion contains unique pricing data based on pricing agreements. Customers use the electronic requisition facility to create purchase requisitions based on the information in the electronic catalogue. The requisitions are routed through an appropriate approval process, processed through the customer""s procurement system, and transmitted to the supplier.
Electronic commercial transactions such as those described in King, Jr. et al. commonly take place over the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web is a collection of servers connected to the Internet that utilize the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (xe2x80x9cHTTPxe2x80x9d). This protocol permits documents (commonly referred to as web pages) written in a standard mark-up language (e.g., html) to be transmitted across the Internet from remote server computers to client computers, even where such remote and client computers share different operating systems or platforms. A browser application running on the client computer then translates the commonly formatted documents and displays them to the user. Groups of commonly owned and related web pages are referred to as web sites and provide online customers with the ability to select the individual content they wish to view without necessarily viewing all the content published by the site owner.
Although systems for implementing electronic commercial transactions, such as those described in King Jr., et al. are known in the art, these systems are typically focused toward the retail environment in which individual purchasers order products from an online retailer on an xe2x80x9cas neededxe2x80x9d basis. Conversely, in the realm of bulk material purchases and business-to-business commercial transactions, it is common for purchasers to order large quantities of materials, based upon a usage forecast or consumption schedule. In fulfillment of such business needs, a supplier may offer the purchaser a variety of ordering methods including conventional one-time orders as well as complex ordering methods such as standing and blanket orders and stocking programs.
A conventional one-time order is simply an order by a purchaser for a particular quantity of product to be wholly delivered at a particular place and time. This is substantially analogous to the xe2x80x9cas-neededxe2x80x9d retail model discussed above. A standing order, conversely, is an order by a purchaser for a particular quantity of material to be delivered at regular intervals (e.g., 1000 lbs. per month, every month). Typically, standing orders include a defined ending date, however, this date may be extended through mutual agreement of the supplier and purchaser. A blanket order is an agreement between the purchaser and the supplier wherein the purchaser agrees to take a certain quantity of a product within a predetermined time period and the supplier agrees to reserve that quantity of product for the purchaser, thereby guaranteeing both the sale to the supplier as well as the availability to the purchaser.
Stocking programs are similar to standing and blanket orders in that a supplier agrees to always deliver a given product within a certain amount of time, upon demand by the purchaser. In this manner, stocking programs guarantee product availability to a purchaser without requiring an excessive inventory of the product to be stored on the purchaser""s site. Typically involved in stocking programs are estimates as to the amount of product a purchaser will require in a given time period. Initially, this estimate is provided by the purchaser in the form of an initial consumption forecast. However, following a predetermined period of time, the supplier may revise the consumption forecast in accordance with the actual demands of the purchaser. In this manner, the supplier can more accurately predict the future consumption of the purchaser.
Standing and blanket ordering programs as well as stocking programs are suitable for large businesses that require regular deliveries of materials, but who do not wish to inventory the materials on site. Further, these types of orders alleviate the need for purchasers to place repeated orders for identical materials. Rather, the purchaser may simply request a release of materials as part of the pre-established complex order. Based upon the needs of a particular purchaser, different ordering methods are more appropriate than others.
Two examples of complex ordering systems may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,771,172 to Yamamoto et al. and 6,006,196 to Feigin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,172 to Yamamoto et al. discloses a raw materials ordering system wherein production quantities of raw materials are determined in accordance with changing production plans. The ordering system receives sales information from retail outlets and manufactures products in response to the received sales information. This system, which determines the order size of each raw material according to a production plan for a product, comprises an order quantity determining means which sequentially sets or modifies the required quantities of raw materials for each day in accordance with the daily production plan or changes in the production plan and determines the order size in accordance with the attributes, inventories, order backlogs and in-process quantities of the raw materials and said required quantities of raw materials and a data input processing means which modifies said inventory quantities in response to raw material acceptance information and modifies said production plan and raw material inventory quantities in response to production data. This eliminates the need for the supplier to maintain large raw material inventories.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,196 to Feigin et al. discloses a method of planning and managing inventory in distribution systems. The disclosed system utilizes enhanced DRP (distribution resource planning) logic to predict future inventory requirements. The enhancement to conventional DRP includes taking future demand variability into consideration when making the prediction. This is done using several distinct statistical algorithms. By utilizing future demand variability, the system enhances performance projection capabilities so as to reduce the likelihood that a proper inventory will be maintained.
Although a myriad of different product ordering and inventory management systems are known, the issue of convenience and efficiency remains in the electronic commercial transaction environment. Typically, product orders, as well as any additions and modifications to the orders, are placed in writing or over the telephone, and are often accompanied by additional ancillary determinations such as a determination regarding the credit worthiness of the purchaser or a determination regarding the payment method being utilized. These conventional forms of communication often result in substantial delays between the date an order is placed or modified, and the effect date of the order or modification. There remains a clear need in the realm of business-to-business electronic commercial transactions to provide for increased convenience in monitoring and modifying complex orders, particularly those which arise out of established stocking programs.
The present invention overcomes the problems noted above, and provides additional advantages, by providing a method and system for enabling purchasers in electronic commercial transactions to monitor and modify the consumption forecast of established stocking programs. A method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention is performed by providing, through a web site on the World Wide Web, a means for determining the identity of a user. Upon identification of the user, the user may select a stocking program option, which results in a listing of all of the user""s previously established stocking programs. The user may then select a particular stocking program and view the details of the selected stocking program. The user may then initiate electronic communication with the supplier to modify the stocking program.
Methods, systems and programs in accordance with the present invention greatly increase the efficiency and convenience of participating in stocking programs for bulk materials, such as chemicals, by reducing or eliminating the need to interact, either orally or in writing, with a customer service representative. Further, the present invention provides for increased convenience in monitoring the consumption forecast established for a given stocking program.